Workshop at ArtPlace America Summit with Haas Institute

I had the pleasure of inviting and co-facilitating a workshop with Eli Moore and Sasha Graham of the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society’s Staying Power program at this year’s ArtPlace America summit. While the role of arts in neighborhood experiencing gentrification and displacement can be fraught, this team in Richmond, CA developed a powerful arts-integrated participatory research and organizing program that is changing the power dynamics and landscape. Eli and Sasha presented the program structure, results of the project (which include a renter’s rights mural, a set of housing policy recommendations, and a new community-based development enterprise), housing strategies to support belonging, and then we split into groups to share questions and resources on a number of topics. Excited to see what the future holds for Richmond as a result of this work and how other communities around the country are innovating to promote belonging.